MICKEY KAUS: “Was it a good idea for Democrats to kill off the Ryan plan by forcing a vote in the Senate? Once it’s clear the plan isn’t going anywhere, it’s not so scary anymore. Dems needed to keep the monster alive, no? . . . I’m not saying the Dems have lost the Medicare weapon. But the Senate vote has decreased the issue’s power–-when it was supposed to do the opposite. It seems like a classic misguided consultants’ play for short-term media advantage.”